CNN Says: Credit card rewards are a real rip off

This just reinforces what most thinking people already know: Never believe anything CNN has to say.

Alright, alright ... lets stay on topic with this and not get into a personal discussion of who we hate.

downercow said: Besides, all they did was quote Consumer Reports. It is CR, if anyone, who deserves the board's wrath

You are assuming that some actually read the article before spreading their ignorance and hatred. You have over-estimated them.

agentpt5 said: You are assuming that some actually read the article before spreading their ignorance and hatred. You have over-estimated them.
Unlike Slashdot, people here rtfa, present company excluded of course.

I have found my AMEX Blue Cash to be straightforward and worthwhile rewards card.

But they are sure right about airline miles: I had 43,000 miles built up from an old my NW airlines Worldperks card, which I decided to finally cash in this summer. During the 2 week period I could have flown, there were ZERO flights available (out of few hundred) at the 25,000 mile level. I ended up having to use 50,000 points, and paying $90 just to transfer 7000 points from my wife's account. Including $15 booking fee, I paid $105 plus 50,000 points for one lousy ticket to Milwaukee. IMHO airline miles are just another scam.

article said: "If the rates are high, the cost to carry a balance will often erase any savings the rewards program may offer," said Amanda Walker, senior project editor at Consumer Reports.

It's amazing to me how many people cannot figure a way around this problem.

CNN said: Research has shown that credit card customers are tempted to charge more in order to earn points...It would be really cool if someone would invent some standardized medium that allows simple definition and access to cross references. Think about the trust journalists could build. Instead of unsubstantiated claims like "studies have shown..." or "experts agree...", proof could be easily available to skeptics or those who just happen to be interested in the topic.

SlimTim said: CNN said: Research has shown that credit card customers are tempted to charge more in order to earn points...It would be really cool if someone would invent some standardized medium that allows simple definition and access to cross references. Think about the trust journalists could build. Instead of unsubstantiated claims like "studies have shown..." or "experts agree...", proof could be easily available to skeptics or those who just happen to be interested in the topic.

LOL, don't forget the old fashioned way http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citation

zoop76 said: More of CNN's infinite wisdom:

http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/02/pf/rawdeal_rewards/index.htm?cnn=yes

Shrug, we use our SPG points. Next month we're going to SF and getting a nice hotel room for free. We're putting in a new kitchen right now and the various points and 0% cards we have will allow us to get various home depot gift cards, free loans and free hotel stays on money we were going to spend anyway.

Incidentally, we could pay for it straight with cash, but why would we do that if we can use Sears, AMEX, Discover, etc to get more out of our money?

It is all about doing your homework. Thanks to my last app-a-rama I am able to do things which would have been more challenging otherwise.

The workshop I am preparing for out of state would have cost me much more. Now my only primary expense is the workshop itself and not the travel expenses involved.

Thank you pts = $500 Marriott gift cards
AA miles = FREE round trip air
AMEX Membership rewards = $13 for 7/day car rental

Thank you FW!!!

this bloke is assuming people don't pay their cc's off in full each month! hahaha, what a bloody wanker. they prob never heard of fwers! we have the power to score deals and win in the long run. w00t to fwers!! nuff said

longwood8 said: I gave op green just for the avatar

I gave op red just for his avatar. nuff said

bgdc said:
Shrug, we use our SPG points. Next month we're going to SF and getting a nice hotel room for free.

yeah, i just switched all my cards to spg. i'm not a rewards program expert but it seems to me that getting a $300+ room for about 10,000 points is a hell of a deal. that's a 3% return with no effort.

Sure, for the consumer who is foolish with their credit cards, carries a balance, etc. rewards cards can be a mess. However, I have a Citibank Diamond Preferred Rewards MasterCard.

- I get 5% back in points for purchases at gas stations, grocery stores and drug stores and 1% elsewhere.

- All the points go to the Thanks You Rewards program.

- I cash in each time I hit 10,000 points for a $100 gift card to a store I shop often or I use the card as a gift saving me from having to spend $100 of my own on a gift card for someone on a special occasion. The $100 gift cards are the best value because $50 ones are 6,000 points and $25 ones are 3,000 points. If I wait and only deal in $100 cards, it means a point is a penny and 10,000 get a card.

- I never carry a balance so they have never made a dime of interest off of me.

- On average, I earn 3000 - 6000 points a month which is pretty much $30 - $60 in points the way I redeem them. Last month, it was 6,700 points of $67 worth of points. So, Citibank (in the end) will have paid me $67 last month just for using their card instead of cash or another card.

- I can earn up to 75,000 points a year or $750 in gift cards and I have earned that just around my anniversary date each year. So, use MasterCard and get paid $750 in gift cards for doing so. Not bad.

I don't share that to brag. I share it in case someone else is interested in this card and to prove CNN wrong.

i guess CNN don't know about the penfed 5% gas Cash Back reward

I wonder if she had a rough childhood, having dick in her last name

The article does have a good point about one thing. I see people wasting rewards cards that don't carry a balance.

They buy shit they never would have because of the "rewards" they get. They buy at this store because they get "5% Cash Back" even though this store is more than 5% more expensive.

So once again this doesn't apply to most here but not carrying a balance isn't the only thing you have to do to make rewards cards beneficial for you. You have to continue to look for the best deal and not buy random crap just to get rewards.

revheck said: I have found my AMEX Blue Cash to be straightforward and worthwhile rewards card.

But they are sure right about airline miles: I had 43,000 miles built up from an old my NW airlines Worldperks card, which I decided to finally cash in this summer. During the 2 week period I could have flown, there were ZERO flights available (out of few hundred) at the 25,000 mile level. I ended up having to use 50,000 points, and paying $90 just to transfer 7000 points from my wife's account. Including $15 booking fee, I paid $105 plus 50,000 points for one lousy ticket to Milwaukee. IMHO airline miles are just another scam.

Yeah i am big fan of AMEX cards. Currently i mainly use AMEX Blue card with MR and MR points can be transferred to Continental miles for $12 and it's a much better deal than getting the Continental Chase Card. Also, i can use the points for GCs. I use miles quiet frequently and i disagree with CNN regarding how "useless miles are" I have used miles to fly to Asia twice and Europe twice without any issues!

If you are smart with your cards rewards are awesome. I have about 10 credit cards, but I only use them for low rate balance transfers in case I need one. And then I use three cards for rewards. I only use the Cash Back credit cards, because I always use the cash. Discover is good because you can get the cash more frequently, blue cash gives bigger bonuses, but you only get the cash once a year. I get well over $1000 Cash Back each year... mostly from my business cards. If you carry a balance though it is over. You will pay way more in interest than you will ever earn.